Machine for folding the margin of sheet material



'I Oct. 6, 1936. I R. G.. .REID` JR 2,056,312

MACHINE VFOR FOLDNG THE MARGIN 0F SHEETIMATERIAL Filed Febl 5; 1955 v Mig;

Patented oei. e, 1936 y y 2,056,312

MACHINE FOR FOLDING THE MARGIN OF SHEET MATERIAL Robert Gow Reid, Jr., Leicester, England, as-

signor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Paterson, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application February 5, 1935, Serial No. 5,146 In Great Britain May 1, 1934 17 Claims. (Cl. W70- 93) This invention relates to the folding of plane through the axis of the shaft I2, as seen margins of sheet-material and is particularly, in Fig. 2. The shaft l2 is rotatable by power apbut by no means exclusively, concerned with plied to a pulley I3, and carries at one end a folding parts of already cemented textile mateknurled cylindrical roll I6, which projects slight- 5 rial in the production of waterproof clothing. In ly through a slot I8 in a horizontally disposed "5 the manufacture of mackintoshes and similar work-table 20 carried on the frame. The shaft clothing, it is often required to turn over the I4 is connected by gearing 22 to the shaft I2 in edges of such material to a distance of half an such manner that a knurled cylindrical roll 24 inch or more, the turned-over' margin being secarried at its end rotates at the same peripheral cured by adhesive. The application of adhesive speed as the roll I6 and in the opposite direction. in a stripe of definitely controlled width is now The shaft I4 is carried on a lever 26 pivotally commonly a machine-operation, instead of as movable about a spindle 28 and urged downwardheretofore a hand-operation, and particularly ly against an adjustable limit-stop 30 by a when adhesives which comprise a suspension of spring-pressed plunger 32 housed in the upper rubber in the form of prepared rubber latex are portion of the frame. The lever 26 has an arm D used, it is desirable to effect the folding opera- 34, which is connected by a rod 3G to a treadle tion by machine instead of by hand, as has been (not shown), by actuation of which the shaft usual. I4 may be lifted bodily away from the shaft An object of the invention is to provide, in such I2 raising the roll 24 for the reception of the 2Q a machine as that disclosed in the application of Work. '20 Robert G. Reid for improvements in folding Mounted for vertical sliding movement upon machines, led in the United States Patent Ofthe table 2Il at the entering side of the rolls I6 ce on July 27, 1934 and bearing the-Serial No. andy 24 is a drag-type Work-pressing device or 737,246, for the effective and regular feeding of head 38, having a smooth under surface that sheet-material without imparting a stretchoverlies the edge of the table. The work- '25 ing action thereto, with a view to obtainpressing device is held down in dragging contact ing regular and flat marginal folding of material with the folded margin of the work by a spring under all circumstances, and particularly when 40 and is provided with a laterally projecting pin the material has been cut so that the margin to carrying a roll 42, which is engaged by a manualbe folded is on the bias. ly operable cam-lever 44 pivoted on the table. 30

Another object of the invention is to guard The cam-lever has a notch 46 in its upper end against contact of the cemented margin with into which, after being lifted by said lever, the other portions of the material until the proper reroll 42 falls, so that the device 38 may be held lation for adhesion has been attained, thus preup away from the table while the leading edge of venting incorrect folding and soiling of the maa work-piece is being introduced between the 35 terial. rolls.

The above and other objects and the several At the rear of the pressing device 38, or at features o f the present invention will become apthe side from which the work advances, and parent from a consideration of the following demounted on a bar 48 under the wo-rk-table 2B 4o scription, given by way of example and with to be movable horizontally towards and from 40 reference to the accompanying drawing of a mathe Dressing device, is an adjustable edge-turnchine according to the invention. ing device 50. This turning device comprises In the drawing, a vertical plate 52 clamped by a screw 53 to a Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the head of the block 54. The block is slidable along the bar machine, with parts broken away; 48, and hinged to it is the edge-turning or fold- 45 Fig. 2 is a left-hand side elevation, partly in ing device comprising a pair of parallel folding section, of the head shown in Fig. 1; plates 56 and 58, which in operating position lie Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the work-edge-foldhorizontally over the table. As shown in Fig. 2, ing device, raised to receive the work; and the lower plate 58 extends rearwardly to a greater Fig. 4 is a View similar to Fig. 3, with the folddistance than the upper plate 56, The plates 50 ing device in operating position. are so disposed as to enclose a slot-space 6D which The construction shown includes a frame I0 receives the margin of the work-piece being foldwith two horizontal shafts I2 and I4 respectively ed. The width of said margin is adjustable by journaled one above the other. The axis of the a gage 62 adjustably secured to the edge-turning upper shaft I4 is slightly to one side of a vertical device 50 by a headed screw 64, so that the gage 55 device '50 with such margin being afterwards.

turned down together for the folding operation. Were material drawn past folding and pressing devices of the nature above described solely rolls, there might be a tendency to1 stretch. and

cause crinkling of the folded margin, thisbeing particularly noticeable when material cut o-n the bias is thus fed through the machine. With-a view to avoiding such a defect in folded mate: rial, a moving backing or supporting member which minimizes the frictional drag ofthe work against the table is employed. Thisnaoving supe porting member conveniently takes the form of an endless conveyor-belt 66 o-f leather, rubber or the like, which passes overtwo, guidefrolls 6.8 and 13 fixed one at either end of the worktable 2D .andextends underneath the edge-turning device 50. .and the work-pressing device 3.8 and between the two knurled rollslbf` and 24. The belt also passes under an idle pulley 'l2 mounted on. a bracket 14. fixedto a rod 16, on the machine-frame lll underneath the table, the pulley 'l2 being adjustable along a slot. 1 8 in the bracket to` take up slackness in the belt. Said belt may be caused to travel over the table by being gripped with the work between the two power-driven rolls. l5L and 2,4., theknur-ling on which aids such. movement.

In using a machine constructed as above. de.: scribed, a convenient procedure for the operator is to fold manually the leading corner, of the margin. ef ihemeteriel Mfivheh margin hee been coated with adhesive. This folded corner Ywill be introduced between the rolls I6 and 24, which are. at rest, it lyingupon the.. belt 86. Atthis time, the pressing member 38 will have been liftedI intoits idle position by the cam-.lever 4.4,. llfhe, folding device 50will have been turned back fromV its. working position over the table (Fig, 3) ready for receiving the margin of the work-.piece andpositioned rearwardly along the-edge. of the belt as far ,from the pressing device asY the guidebar 48 allows. With thefolding. device thus. lo.- cated, application Yof the work to itwill be facilitated, The voperator will nextpass. the margin of. the materia into me slot so in the finding device. and will turn said device over into operating position (Fig. 4) and` slide it upto. the pressure device. TheA folded forward, portion of the margin being thereby positioned properly under the pressure device, said device is allowed to drop upon the work. 'Ijhe .machine is now started by throwing in the` power-drive for the rolls, the rotation of which pulls the work and the belt forward togetheror from right to left eeen in Fie- 2,- Y

Particularly when adhesive .containing Irubber is used, it is important that a cemented surface shall not be allowed to touch any other part of the materialy until it is in correct position to be causedto adhere permanently thereto, and,` once contact isI obtained, that air-bubbles shall not be surrounded by adhering surfaces. The threading of thevcemented margin. of a piece of materiialthrough an edge-turning device of the nature above described tends to maintain the marginally cemented portion apart from the other portions of the material, and it is n-ot until they reach the pressing device that the. cemented portions are pressed into contact with one another. The pressing device acts over the full width of the cemented margin, and, as the material passes, it presses backwards any bubbles of air that may possibly be trapped in said margin. The rolls, besides acting to feed the belt and material throughv the machine, consolidate the two thicknesses of material already acted upon by the presser 38.

4It is essential; as ab-ove described, that premature comat of a cemented surface and other parts ofa piece of material be prevented, to avoid incorrect folding of the margin and soiling by adhesive, should contact of cemented and other surfaces occurand the surfaces be separated again to enable correct folding to be obtained.

Y Also, if adhesive` should be left on the material after separation, as above indicated, parts of the edge-turning device might pick up adhesive and still further put it where it is not wanted. To prevent such defects, thelower plate 58 of the two. parallel plates, or that lying nearest tothe table, is longer in the direction of work-feed thanA is the upper plate 5.6. Thisholds the upper portion of themarginal fold away from the lower until. the .two arriveV at the folding point, at which they are brought into parallel relation, ready for pressing together. Secured by two screws 8G tothe upper plate 56 is an arm 82, which extends outwardly beyond the hingedv end o-f the plate. A stopY member 84 is secured to the verticaliplate 52 and risesv abovethetable 2i), at theside at which the turning devicet!) is pivoted. The stop is so shaped that when the edge-turning device is in operating position, the outwardly extending portion of the arm 8.2 con.- tacts withr said stop member. This .contact is arranged to occur when the parallel plates and 58 are substantially horizontal and a space is left 'for the passageof the piece of material over the tablel and belt without the cemented surface touching. the under side ofV the lower plate 5 8. It will be seen that by reason of the greater lengthy of the lower plate as compared with^ the upper plate 56 premature contact of vsurfaces is rendered more unlikely, andshould adhesive findits way .on to the under surface of the plate 5t, it is not likely to be transferred to material as: it passes through the machine, because of the position in which said plate is held by the stop.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l, In a machine for folding the margin of sheet-material, means in engagement with which the material is advanced for turning the margin, supporting meanstraveling with the. advancing material and uponV which said material rests below the turning means, and pressure means having a work-.engaging surface extending along the supporting means in the direction of travel and to which said supporting means delivers the material from the turning means; Y

2. In a machine for folding` the. margin of sheet-material, means in engagement with which the material is. advanced for turning the margin, means traveling with the advancing material for supportingit at the turning means, and pressure means'to. which the supporting means delivers the material from the turning means, said 'pres'- sure means acting upon the supporting` means to causeits advance with the material.

3. Ina machine for folding the margin of sheet-material, a traveling conveyor' underlying and supporting the material, a turning device extending above the conveyor and operating upon the portion of the margin of said material directly above that resting upon the conveyor, a drag-type pressure-head mounted to slide toward and from the conveyor and having a work-engaging surface extending along said conveyor to act upon the folded margin, and a spring arranged to urge the head toward the conveyor.

4. In a machine for folding the margin of sheet-material, a traveling conveyor engaging the material, a turning device extending above the conveyor and operating upon the margin of said material, and a plurality of pressure members movable toward the conveyor and arranged to act successively upon the folded margin.

5. In a machine for folding the margin of sheet-material, a traveling conveyor engaging the material, a turning device extending above the conveyor and operating upon the margin of said material, and a plurality of pressure membersl movable toward the conveyor and arranged to act successively upon the folded margin, one of said pressure members acting upon the conveyor to effect its travel.

6. In a machine for folding the margin of sheet-material, a Work-supporting table, a traveling conveyor passing over guide-rolls at the edges of the table and underlying the margin of the material, a turning device extending above the conveyor and operating upon the margin of said material, and opposite pressure members one of which is movable toward and from the other, said members being arranged for respective engagement with the conveyor and with the material.

7. In combination, a work-supporting table, a belt movable over the table supporting the margin of the work, margin-turning plates spaced from each other and extending over the belt, and a drag pressure member movable above the table toward and from the belt to act upon the turned margin.

8. In combination, a table, a belt movable over the table, a guide member extending along the belt, margin-turning plates mounted to move along the guide member, and a pressure member acting upon the turned margin.

9. In combination, a table, a belt movable over the table, a guide member extending along the belt, a slide movable upon the guide member, and margin-turning plates pivoted upon the slide for movement toward and from the belt.

10. In combination, a. table, a belt the upper run of which is dragged over the table, a marginturning device mounted near the table to extend over the belt, and a pair of pressure-rolls between Which the belt carrying the turned margin passes, one of said rolls being driven.

l1. In combination, a table, a belt one run of which rests upon and is movable over the table, a margin-turning device mounted near the table to extend over the belt, a drag pressure member positioned to rest upon, the folded margin and spring pressed toward the upper side of the table, and means to pull the work and the belt together under the pressure member.

l2. In combination, a table, a belt movable over the table, a margin-turning device mounted near the table to extend over the belt, a pressure-head movable above the belt into engagement With the turned margin of a piece of Work, and a pair of pressure-rolls between which the belt and turned margin pass.

13. In a machine for folding the margin of sheet-material, a table over which the material is advanced for the turning of the margin, a margin-turning device pivoted at one side of the table to move toward and from said table, and a stop member secured adjacent to the pivot and limiting the movement of the turning device toward said table.

14. In combination, a table, a belt movable over the table, a guide member extending along the belt, a slide movable upon the guide member,

margin-turning plates pivoted upon the slide for movement toward and from the belt, and a stop member secured to the slide and limiting the movement of the turning plates toward the belt.

l5. In a, machine for folding the margin of sheet-material, a table over which the material is advanced for the turning of the margin, a pair of margin-turning plates spaced from each other above the table to receive the margin between them, said plates being pivoted at one side of the table, and a stop member rising above the table at the side to which the plates are pivoted, said plates having a projection contacting with the stop member in the operating position o-f the plates.

16. In a machine for folding the margin of sheet-material, .a table over which the material is advanced for the turning of the margin, and

a pair of margin-turning plates spaced from each other above the table to receive the margin between them, the plate lying nearest the table extending rearwardly with respect to the direction of advance of the material a greater distance than the companion plate.

17. In a machine for folding the margin of sheet-material, a table over which the material is advanced for the turning of the margin, a pair of margin-turning plates spaced from each other above the table to receive the margin between them, the plate lying nearest the table extending rearwardly with respect to the direction of advance of the material a greater distance than the companion plate, said plates being pivoted at one side of the table, and a stop member rising above the table at the side to which the plates are pivoted, said plates having a projection contacting with the stop member in the operating position of the plates.

ROBERT GOW REID, JR. 

